Wild Earth Integration

image via National Geographic

I came across this little guy (called a lilac-breasted roller!) while researching a new book – I just had to share it with you.

Creatures like this always get me to thinking about fantasy. I think one of the main reasons people love fantasy books so much is because of the possibility they represent. Magic, myth and legend are all deeply embedded in us and I think we’re drawn to the potential found in certain stories.

Of course, you’ll never catch me saying anything bad about reading, period.

But sometimes I think we forget just how magical, how fantastical the natural world can be; look at this bird!

Enjoy a little extra magic and color today – Happy Friday!

I love it when humans are confronted with something that forces us to step back and evaluate just what we think we know.

I particularly love it when we realize “Oh…… how about that?” and marvel at how we missed something.

Allow me to explain.

About a week ago, an article was published in Biology Letters, outlining a new species of monitor lizard living in the forests of the northern Philippines. Well, it’s new to us at least.

Now get this – we’re not talking about a tree frog the size of your thumbnail, or a deep sea fish that can make himself invisible – this lizard is two metres long and is a relative of the infamous Komodo dragon. In other words, it’s a big oops and scientists are kind of scratching their heads wondering “This is insane – how did we miss this?”

To top it off, instead of eating meat like we would expect this komodo-esque beast to do, it turns out that he much prefers a nice fruit salad. This monitor lizard is a frugivore.

A third point is also worth mentioning. Although biologists haven’t encountered this species before, it’s well known to the indigenous Agta and Ilongot people of the region.

I can’t help but enjoy watching this unfold, because like I mentioned above, it forces us to realize we don’t have it all figured out. This lizard throws a bit of a curve ball at us, and I think it’s good for us to be thrown curve balls. It teaches humility, no?

So, what can we learn from this lizard? Apart from its eating habits and genetic composition, this lizard serves as a nice reminder of a few things:

1/ Maybe this planet has secrets (biological or otherwise) that we aren’t aware of yet. Admitting that we don’t know what we don’t know will open us to those possibilities faster than assuming we do.

2/Even big things (animals, effects, concepts) can go unseen if we’re not really opening our eyes.

3/ When in doubt, ask the locals. They probably know a lot more than you think.

Keep it wild!

…If you don’t slow down.

The holidays are fast approaching and many of us are knee-deep in the busy season already. Sure, it’s the most wonderful time of the year *here you go* – but it can also be one of the most rushed. The perfect antidote to all of this madness? A little time in nature.

During any season, it can be pretty easy to fly through the outdoors. But don’t fall prey to the urge to speed through. If you’re rushing, you’re probably zoning out. Bad explorer!  Nobody knows about the importance of slowing down like a good animal tracker. In fact, some of the best trackers out there say that in order to truly see the world around you, you must walk at a speed that’s 1/4 your normal walking speed.

Think about that.

I know that if we were all to wander around at 1/4th our pace everyday, things would get pretty hairy. Holiday shopping would be even worse, wouldn’t it? But nature, like many great things, is all in the details.

For our expedition today, I took the 1/4 pace challenge in my backyard. Within 50 feet of my house, I was amazed at what I found.

My friends, I give you 5 things you will surely miss if you don’t slow down out there:

• Unexpected Buddies
  

That’s right – what expedition around my house would be complete without a little evidence of Gerry. And introducing today – Gerry’s nemesis! One of the easiest ways to see animal tracks is to get down low – reeeaal low, with your head close to the ground. People typically don’t notice the ground in front of them when they’re rushing, so unexpected friends like this are often missed!

• Tiny Shots of Festive Color

Ironically enough, it’s in a gray, wintery world that most color tends to stand out. But our human brains don’t quite catch on. When we see a lot of something in front of us (like snow for example), our mind wants us to think that it’s all uniform. Sort of like a white noise on a television set, our brain decides ‘there’s nothing there’. But you can show your brain who’s boss by slowing down and focusing – you might be amazed at what is right in front of you.

• Things That Hang On

Have you ever really looked at climbing vines? Many of them have small suckers, a lot like a gecko’s foot. These suckers latch onto trees, fences and whatever else they can find. Even though they dry out in winter, these suckers are still hangin’ on.

• Things That Let Go

If there’s one lesson that trees can teach you, it’s that sometimes you just gotta let go. Every fall, trees (at least ones with leaves like these) draw in all their nutrients to their core. This is why leaves turn such gorgeous colors, they’re losing nutrients to the trunk. In winter, the tree is in 100% self preservation mode, so the leaves let go.

• Things That Don’t Follow the Crowd

If that’s not a poster for perseverance, I don’t know what is.

I wonder what you’d see if you took the 1/4 pace challenge? Let’s hear your tales!

We all have our secrets. Today, I thought I’d introduce you to one of mine.

This is Gerry. Say hi to him!

Gerry is an Eastern Gray Squirrel that has been inspiring me for months. Everyday, he comes around to the patio outside of my office (lucky writer, I know) and eats binges on the seeds that I have so graciously tossed out for the wildlife. Of course, Gerry has grown to be a pretty hefty squirrel (in fact he probably weighs about as much as a cat at this point), so the birds have to get up pretty early to get the jump on him!

As a busy writer/illustrator/educator/aspiring nature superhero, life can get pretty hectic. Sometimes, it’s easy to forget about the simple things – the reasons why we do what we do. For me, animals, nature and science are my thing. My shtick. Having Gerry (and his assorted friends) around outside the door is a great reminder of why it is that I do what I do. I know many of you reading are also nature superheros, so Gerry is a reminder to you too. But I digress.

So, my top 3 favorite things about squirrels? Glad you asked.

#3 – They have no thumbs. Yep, they accomplish all of their squirrel-tastic tasks without any thumbs. If I had no thumbs, my writingwouldprobablylooklikethis. But this guy climbs trees, scares off cats (I’ve seen him do it!) and otherwise kicks squirrel booty without so much as an opposable digit. Fantastic.

#2 -They stand up for what they believe in, and when needed, yell at you. We’ve all been minding our own business, walking under a tree, when suddenly we hear it. Grinding chitter-chatter coming from above our heads. Alas, it is Gerry (or one of his relatives) reaming us out for daring to walk under his tree. Forget the fact that we outweigh Gerry a hundred-fold and that he’s got no thumbs. Nope, squirrels stick up for themselves. No matter how big (or human) their foes are.

#1 – That crazy tail-bopping thing they do. If you’ve spent any time with squirrels (why wouldn’t you, really?) – you know what I’m talking about. They’ll hop and scamper along, with their tails bopping up and down in weird, jumbly rhythms. I’m convinced that there is some sort of behavioral/evolutionary reason for all of this bopping, but I have yet to devise a scheme experiment to figure it out. Is it a signal of some kind? Reflective of their physiology? Only Gerry knows.

And now my friends, I leave you with a picture of Gerry – decked out 300 style. You know, the movie about the Persians and the battle for Thermopylae? He is a squirrel to be reckoned with. Epic, no?

I’d love to hear your own backyard wildlife stories – feel free to introduce us in the comments!

Just a quick update to look forward to — Last week, I was fortunate enough to speak at a workshop focused on creating positive change in the world. I chatted with 3 groups of Grade 7s-8s about sustainability, social justice, environmentalism and (of course) clay. The kids were awesome, and they definitely have some world changing ideas.

Just wait ’til you see what they made. Stay tuned for more details and pictures of their masterpieces!

In the meantime, I hope you’re feelin good.

“The reason they want you to fit in is that once you do, they can ignore you.”

-SG

In case you don’t read Seth – you should.

First item: It’s Friday. This makes me happy.

Second, I finished a new pic. You like?

In the spirit of Friday, I thought I’d write a little bit about input and output. No, I’m not talking about hooking up the DVD player, although that is an experience for the books also. I’m talking about the other part of the creative process that many people often ignore.

Here’s the way I see it. Creativity is output. It comes from inside of you (this is starting to sound a bit like Alien, but bear with me) – and then something is formed, stitched and melded together from your own blood, sweat, tears and imagination. It could be writing, dancing, sculpting, basketweaving – it’s all coming from you and ends up representing a snapshot of your life and mindset at the time. You put a lot of yourself into it. That’s why people use the phrase “it took a lot out of me.”

What I’m trying to say is, it’s really hard.

But this is only half of the equation. These are the awesome-super-fired-up-gungho-I’m-the-king-of-the-world moments where you’re buzzing with the excitement of creating, or having created, something entirely you. What’s the other half, then?

The other half of the equation is input. I think of input as a time of mindful, active rest. It is the second piece of bread in the creative sandwich, but too often people ignore it and make a huge mess trying to eat it open-faced style. Input is the time you allow yourself to delve into those activities that you used to enjoy as a kid, or feel niggly, naggy little feelings towards now. Input is the stuff that you want to do, but won’t allow yourself to do because you’ve got work to do.

Maybe your version of input is seeing an opera. Or watching Die Hard for the eighth time (shush, it happens). Maybe it’s sneaking a read of Twilight to see what all the fuss is about (guilty), or sitting on a park bench watching the squirrels. It could be eating an incredible meal with your main squeeze or going to the bookstore and poring over the children’s books you used to love. Input is the stuff that many people see as absolute fluff. But they’re wrong.

Input, unlike creating, is letting the world come to you.

I hear you – “But Jess! I can’t just escape my life and master the art of french cooking! I’ve got pieces to finish, papers to grade, books to write!”*  *(Pick your poison there). But what we’ve forgotten is, input is part of the job. If you don’t have input, you’ll have nothing to turn into output.

You’re no super(wo)man. Neither am I. But for a long time, I gave myself a hard time about needing the time to gain those inputs in my life. I would get frustrated if I caught myself staring out the window, feeling like a desperate spaniel pawing at the outside world. I would steal glances at the latest novel beside me and say to it “in a minute, in a minute”. (So I talk to books sometimes, what’s it to you?)

But you’d be surprised what a little input can do if you allow it into your life. Watch the movie. Take a walk. Get over yourself and how serious you are about your work and do something you actually want to do. The funny thing is, the more you allow yourself to be human and work with yourself (by that I mean, accepting that you need inputs), the more you’ll notice your outputs taking off! When you allow yourself to work with your own process, you’ll become more productive. Promise.

This isn’t just me telling you to go easy on yourself and take a break every now and then. It’s me telling you that input (walks, books, movies, friends, tree climbing) is necessary to any sort of creatively successful life. It’s filling up your mental dictionary. It’s expanding your brain, making new connections and sorting old files. As soon as you realize that input is part of the job, things change.

So go ahead. Don’t ignore half of your job. Enjoy some input time. Yippee-kay-yay – John McClane would be proud.

I’ve been working on some new illustrations for a book I’m putting together. This is the first one. Incidentally, chameleons are great self-help gurus.

Details:

Artists and writers, listen up. Scientists, you too. We all play nice here and this post is for both of you.

Looking for something to really help you open up and create a masterpiece? What about a clever trick that just might lead you to stunning scientific epiphanies? Are you ready?

Sfumato. Kind of sounds like a weird sort of tomato-fungus hybrid, doesn’t it? But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Sfumato can change your life.

Literally, sfumato means ‘to go up in smoke’. It is normally used to describe an Italian painting technique, most notably demonstrated by our pal Da Vinci and his Mona Lisa. The wispy thin layers of paint endlessly applied over each other created one of the most ambiguously beautiful images in our history. Sfumato is why this painting has become one of the most talked about icons of all time. Is she smiling? Smirking? Pregnant? Happy? Innocent? Seductive? What is her deal? The Mona Lisa personifies sfumato because we really have no idea what is going on with her.

But sfumato is more than just a paint technique.

In life, sfumato is the principle of accepting and embracing the unknown. It is seeing the paradoxes and contradictions – the gray areas, the smoky hazes and the veils between ideas. Da Vinci once said that the things in life that make us the most happy will also make us the most sad. That’s a paradox if I’ve ever heard one. To me, this is a lot like what Achilles says in Troy: “Everything is more beautiful because we are doomed.” Life is full of contradictory ideas like this. Joy/sorrow, journey/destination, good/evil, incubation/output, change/permanence, logic/imagination; we live with the tension between these ideas everyday, but we don’t really think about it. The principle of sfumato allows you to contemplate these ideas simultaneously, while accepting the fact that you just don’t know.

The Big, Bad Unknown

Typically, when faced with the unknown we get anxious. We freak out. We enter denial. We become control freaks, desperately trying to align our world in clean, right angles and tidy, colour coded boxes. But this is no way to view the world – at least not if you want to do something extraordinary. You must be willing to not know, which inherently means you are willing to absolutely fall on your arse and fail remarkably. When you start a new project, admit it – you have no idea where it may lead. You may create the next bestseller or the world’s heaviest paperweight – who knows? You might seek the cure for cancer and find it, or you might lead the way to something else or (just as remarkably) add to the pile of ten thousand ideas that don’t work. You just don’t know. Embrace that.

Why Sfumato Is Where It’s At

If you’re okay with the concept of uncertainty, you are open to more. More sights, more sounds, more tastes, more experiences, more ideas. If something comes at you when you’re hell bent on forcing certainty, the chances are good that you will miss it, because it wasn’t part of your plan. It might even bug you. If you are open to doubt, you are open to all sides – the yesses and the nos, the rights and the wrongs. Most importantly, if you are open to the unknown, you won’t miss your hunches. And hunches, my friend, are quite possibly your best opportunity for success, in work and life.

Say it with me. Sfumato.

Allow yourself the possibility of seeing things differently.

Yes, this post is ambiguous. See my point?